To fall asleep faster, keep the same wake-up time every day, go to bed only when you feel sleepy, and skip caffeine, alcohol and screens in the hours before bed. In bed, try slow breathing or relaxing your muscles one group at a time. If you're still awake after about 20 minutes, get up and do something calm.
This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.
The tips below come from the NHS, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health), Mayo Clinic and the Sleep Foundation. They focus on what to do once you're in bed and on the daytime habits that make that easier. For a full evening wind-down, see our guide to a bedtime routine for adults.
A little while is normal. The Sleep Foundation says a healthy sleep latency, the time it takes to fall asleep, typically ranges from 15 to 20 minutes. It adds that taking less than 10 minutes may be a sign you're sleep-deprived. So if you drift off in a quarter of an hour, that's within the usual range. If it regularly takes much longer, start with the steps below.
The Sleep Foundation describes these relaxation techniques. NHLBI notes that relaxation or meditation therapy, one part of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), teaches you how to relax and fall asleep faster. Pick one and practice it for a week or two.
Lie in bed, close your eyes and breathe in and out slowly and deeply.
Tense the muscles in your face for 10 seconds, then let go and take a few deep breaths.
Do the same with your shoulders.
Work through the other muscle groups in your body the same way. Skip any area that hurts.
Breathe out completely through your mouth.
Breathe in quietly through your nose for four seconds.
Hold your breath for seven seconds.
Breathe out slowly through your mouth for eight seconds.
Repeat the cycle three to four times.
Picture a calm place or a peaceful memory in as much detail as you can: what you'd see, hear and smell. The Sleep Foundation suggests imagining the day's stress leaving your body as you move through each detail.
Trying hard to sleep can backfire. The Sleep Foundation describes lying in bed with your eyes open and calmly telling yourself you won't fall asleep. The idea is to ease the pressure to perform, which can help you drift off.
NHLBI describes stimulus control, another part of insomnia treatment, as a way to link being in bed with being asleep. It means going to bed only when you're sleepy, getting out of bed if you can't sleep, and using your bed only for sleep and sex. The Sleep Foundation says that if you've been lying awake for more than 20 minutes, it's often best to get up. Here's what that looks like:
Get up and go to another room.
Do something calm, like reading or gentle stretching.
Avoid screens and bright light.
Go back to bed when you feel drowsy.
Get up at your usual time the next morning. The NHS advises against sleeping in after a bad night.
Fix your wake-up time. The NHS suggests waking up and getting out of bed at the same time every day. NHLBI adds: even on weekends.
Go to bed only when you're sleepy. It's on the NHS list, and it's part of stimulus control.
Time your caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. The NHS says not to smoke or drink alcohol, tea or coffee for at least 6 hours before bed. Mayo Clinic notes that alcohol may help you fall asleep but prevents deeper stages of sleep.
Exercise, but earlier. The NHS recommends regular exercise during the day but not within 4 hours of bed. NHLBI suggests finishing at least 5 to 6 hours before bed.
Go easy on naps. The NHS advises against daytime naps if you have insomnia. If you do nap, the Sleep Foundation suggests 20 to 30 minutes and not late in the afternoon or evening.
Eat earlier and drink less late. NHLBI suggests avoiding late-night dinners and limiting how much you drink close to bedtime.
Set up your bedroom. Keep it dark, quiet and cool, with a comfortable mattress, pillows and covers.
Wind down without screens. The NHS suggests relaxing for at least an hour before bed and not watching TV or using devices like smartphones right before bed.
Check before you reach for a pill. NHLBI says research has not proven that melatonin is an effective treatment for insomnia, and it can have side effects. It also says over-the-counter sleep aids that contain antihistamines can be unsafe for some people. The NHS says pharmacy sleep aids cannot cure insomnia, may help for 1 to 2 weeks and can cause side effects such as drowsiness. Ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking anything for sleep, and ask whether any medicine you already take could be keeping you awake. Mayo Clinic notes that many prescription drugs can interfere with sleep.
Mayo Clinic says short-term insomnia can last days or weeks, while chronic insomnia lasts three months or more. The NHS says to see a GP if:
changing your sleeping habits has not helped
you've had trouble sleeping for months
your insomnia is affecting your daily life in a way that makes it hard to cope
Mayo Clinic also advises seeing your doctor if insomnia makes it hard to do daily activities, and notes that insomnia often occurs with other mental health conditions. A doctor will look for the cause. NHLBI says cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is usually recommended as the first treatment for long-term insomnia. The NHS adds that you may be referred to a sleep clinic if you have symptoms of another sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea, and that GPs now rarely prescribe sleeping pills for insomnia. In the meantime, don't drive when you feel sleepy.
Yes. The Sleep Foundation says a healthy sleep latency typically ranges from 15 to 20 minutes.
After about 20 minutes, yes. Do something calm in another room, away from screens and bright light, and go back to bed when you feel drowsy.
NHLBI says research has not proven that melatonin is an effective treatment for insomnia. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before trying it.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. NHLBI describes it as a 6- to 8-week plan that can include sleep education, relaxation, stimulus control, sleep restriction and help with worry about sleep. A doctor, nurse or therapist can deliver it in person, by phone or online.
Sleepward: Bedtime Routine can't promise faster sleep, and it isn't a medical device or a sleep score. It's an iPhone app for your evening wind-down, with an editable routine, a gradually darkening wind-down screen, a private Brain Dump for getting thoughts out of your head, and white, pink and brown noise with a sleep timer. It has no accounts and no ads, and its App Privacy label reads Data Not Collected.
Get Sleepward free on the App Store